Millimeter-Wave Egg Inspection for Contactless Viability Screening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for egg processing in poultry farming are inefficient, costly, and sensitive to environmental factors, leading to low processing rates and potential contamination, while also posing risks to embryo safety.
Innovation Solution
A contactless control device using millimeter wave radio frequency signals to inspect eggs, determining their viability, orientation, and position without contact, utilizing radar echoes to analyze egg states and position, enabling high-speed processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If contactless inspection methods (such as optical or electromagnetic sensors) are used, then hygiene is improved and bacterial contamination is prevented, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection system is divided into separate functional modules: a first sensor unit for quality inspection and a second sensor unit for defect detection. Each module operates independently with its own sensor type and processing logic, allowing the system to maintain high hygiene standards through contactless operation while managing complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection device is designed to perform multiple inspection functions using different sensor types. The system can switch between optical sensors for quality assessment and electromagnetic sensors for defect detection, making it a universal inspection platform that addresses multiple requirements without requiring separate dedicated devices
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensor types are used for comprehensive inspection, then inspection accuracy is improved, but processing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary quality inspection using optical sensors before conducting more detailed defect detection with electromagnetic sensors. By pre-screening eggs with faster optical methods and only applying slower electromagnetic inspection when necessary, the system achieves high accuracy while minimizing overall processing time
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection system applies different levels of inspection intensity based on initial assessment. Not all eggs undergo the full sequence of both optical and electromagnetic inspection - the system selectively applies additional electromagnetic scanning only to eggs that show potential issues during preliminary optical inspection, reducing average processing time while maintaining detection accuracy
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device achieves high-speed processing of over 90,000 eggs per hour, is insensitive to environmental factors, and ensures embryo safety, with accurate determination of egg orientation and viability.
Implementation Method 1
an optical sensor arranged to detect a quality characteristic of the egg
Implementation Method 2
an electromagnetic sensor arranged to detect a defect in the egg
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method and device for automatically inspecting one or more eggs contactlessly. According to the invention, the following steps are carried out: a) a millimetre-wave radio-frequency signal is transmitted by a transmitter towards an egg, b) a millimetre-wave radio-frequency signal reflected by said egg is detected by means of a sensor (14), said sensor (14) being placed at distance from said egg, c) the intensity of the reflected millimetre-wave radio-frequency signal is analysed as a function of the distance travelled by the reflected signal and the radar echo thus obtained is compared with one or more reference radar echoes each representative of one egg state, so as to deduce the egg's current state therefrom.